Name, Age, Birthplace:
Traci Crews, 29, Cincinnati, OH
Modestly dubbed the “Queen of Nashville” Traci Crews is an entrepreneur and educated music junkie who has started her own music development/artist management company in Nashville, TN. New Age caught up with Traci to ask her a few questions about her roots, goals and views on the music industry state of mind.
New Age: What is your music background experience?
Traci: “Of course everybody has that same story where their parents played all the records growing up and all that. Well, mine is the same but I liked to tape the radio with My First Sony tape recorder. I always bought blank tapes to tape the songs off the radio to make my own mixtape of songs I liked to listen to. Music got me through a lot growing up, took me away from what was going on in my house. I could just pop in a tape and sing all the songs and rap all the lyrics. That's how I knew music was aesthetic just by helping me. My music background experience comes from being in the 5th grade starting out playing trumpet for band and ending high school playing marching baritone. After high school I came to Tennessee State as a mechanical engineering major and left after a year to pursue Audio Engineering at Middle Tennessee State. During that transition I was under Def Jam Records street team, interning in promotions at 92Q and volunteering at various music conferences that came to Nashville. After graduating from MTSU I engineered for about 5 years with signed and unsigned artists.
New Age: When and why did you start Wandering Star Management?
Traci: “I started WanderingStar Management in 2007 mainly because I knew a lot of talented people that didn't have a clue as to what direction they wanted to take their music in. Basically, they held the talent but didn't have the business end to make their talent profitable. Hence the meaning of the name WanderingStar, a talented person who is wandering about.”
NewAge: What is the most single most important advice that you would give to an artist on your roster?
Traci: “The single most important advice I'd give an artist on my roster is if you think you are worth it you need to find out how to exploit yourself to the fullest first before someone tries to come with a contract some money telling you they can do it for you because all they see is a cash cow in you and if you don't see the cash cow in yourself then you will get used until you cannot get used anymore and therefore you will be tossed to the side. KNOW YOUR WORTH.”
New Age: What type of artist would you like to work with?
Traci: “I’d like to first work with artists that have much talent. Talent to me comes first because no one wants to work with a talentless individual. That's not what drives my passion for music. Secondly they have to have a drive, a grind and a hustle to get to whatever goal they're trying to obtain. You have to want to work for yourself before any one manager is going to want to work for you.”
New Age: Current artist roster and things to look forward to at Wandering Star?
Traci: “WanderingStar Management current roster is FinessDaBoss and Diablo. I was under contract with Diablo from 2008-2010 as we are currently renegotiating contracts. FinessDaBoss is my new artist just acquired her in late 2009.This year I plan to brand WanderingStar, I will be more visible as I am continuing to build my company.”
“The world of music is constantly changing and we have to be able to help change it for the better or just be the one running behind those trendsetting and innovating.”- Traci Crews
You can find out more about what WanderingStar Management and what it’s artist have in store for 2010 at www.myspace.com/WanderingStarManagement and http://www.finessdaboss.com/Home.html
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